Anticancer and Antitumor Potential of Fucoidan and Fucoxanthin, Two Main Metabolites Isolated from Brown Algae

Seaweed is one of the largest producers of biomass in marine environment and is a rich arsenal of active metabolites and functional ingredients with valuable beneficial health effects. Being a staple part of Asian cuisine, investigations on the crude extracts of Phaeophyceae or brown algae revealed marked antitumor activity, eliciting a variety of research to determine the active ingredients involved in this potential. The sulfated polysaccharide of fucoidan and carotenoid of fucoxanthin were found to be the most important active metabolites of brown algae as potential chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agents. This review strives to provide detailed account of all current knowledge on the anticancer and antitumor activity of fucoidan and fucoxanthin as the two major metabolites isolated from brown algae

Overview of the antibacterial properties of essential oils and extracts of medicinal plants in Iran

Background and aims: With increased resistance resulting from overusing of chemical-synthetic antibiotics, finding alternative medicines that have antibacterial properties and they have the least side effects on human health appears to be necessary. Many studies have been taken into consideration medicinal plants with antimicrobial properties. The aim of this study was to have an overview of the antibacterial properties of medicinal plants. Methods: In this study, by searching key words as: herbs (Medicinal Plants), anti-bacterial properties of medicinal plants in Iran , antimicrobial properties of medicinal plants in Iran, in scientific articles published in databases as: Iranmedx, Magiran, Google scholar, Ebsco, Pubmed, Science direct, and SID, the required data were obtained. Results: Many herbs, including Zataria multifora, Urtica dioical, Crocus sativus L., Artemisia Absinthium, Menta piperita, Eucalyptus globules L., Borago officinalis L., Scrophularia desrti, Cuminum cyminum L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Allium hirtifolium, Castaneifolia- sativa, Allium sativum, Pycnocycla spinose, Juglans Regia, Salvia officinalis L. have strong antibacterial properties against a variety of pathogenic bacteria. Conclusion: In addition to the various medicinal plants with antimicrobial susceptibility and pathogenic bacteria resistance, antimicrobial properties of these studied medicinal plants could be used as a natural preservative in a variety of foods from these herbs. Thyme and garlic have antibacterial effects on an extensive range of positive and negative gram bacteria through them

Antinociceptive effect of terminalia bellirica in diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a comparison with fluoxetin, imipramine and quercetin

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the possible antinociceptive effect of Terminalia bellirica fruit aqueous extract in animal models of diabetic neuropathic pain. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (50 mg/kg i.p.). T. bellirica (70 mg/kg), fluoxetine (14.5 mg/kg), imipramine (10.5 mg/kg) and quercetin (10 mg/kg) were administered orally for 21 consecutive days, starting after 4th week in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Hot plate test, tail immersion test and formalin test were used to assess the antinociceptive activity. For assessment of the role of opioid receptors in antinociception of T. bellirica, naloxone (2 mg/kg, i.p.) as opioid receptor antagonist was injected prior to its administration. Thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), catalase and superoxide dismutase were also estimated to evaluate oxidative stress. Diabetes induced axonal degeneration was assessed histopathologically. T. bellirica attenuated hyperalgesia in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Furthermore, T. bellirica significantly decreased TBARS and restored the activity of SOD and catalase towards normal. Histopathological examination of sciatic nerve also confirms the protective nature of T. bellirica. Antinociceptive activity of T. bellirica was reversed by prior administration of naloxone, and. was comparable with standard treatments like fluoxetine, imipramine and quercetin. The antidepressant and anti-oxidant activity of T. bellirica may be responsible for its antinociceptive action in diabetic neuropathy.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Nursing and Midwifery Students Perspective on Clinical Education in Gonabad University of Medical Sciences

Introduction. Continuous evaluation is necessary for improving and promoting the quality of clinical education. The purpose of this study was to determine the views of nursing and midwifery students of Gonabad University of Medical Science about the condition of clinical education. Methods. This was a cross-sectional survey in which 140 nursing and midwifery students registered as day or night students were selected by census sampling method. They were studied using a questionnaire consisted of 4 sections about instructor’s performance, cooperation of staff, patients and students, facilities and equipments of clinical environment and clinical evaluation system. Data was analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics, t-test, Mann Whitney and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results. Most of the students evaluated the instructor’s performance, good with the mean and standard deviation of 62.3±15.7, cooperation of staff, patients and students, at a borderline level(between good and intermediate) with the mean and standard deviation of 51.4±22.4, facilities and equipments, at an intermediate level with the mean and standard deviation of 30.64±19.2 and clinical evaluation system at an intermediate level with the mean and standard deviation of 37.6±27.7. There was no significant difference between nursing and midwifery students' viewpoints about different aspects of clinical education. Conclusion. In order to improve the situation of clinical education in nursing, it is recommended to provide facilities and equipments for clinical environments and revise the tools and process of clinical evaluation. These points have been confirmed by other studies as well. Improving instructors' performance and encouraging professional cooperation could lead to the improvement of clinical education

A profile of drug utilization among elderly inpatients admitted at a tertiary level hospital in Bangalore: A prospective study

Objectives: In the elderly population the aging process leads to physiological alterations, which makes these individuals more susceptible to chronic diseases and consequently, to increased drug utilization. The objective of the present study was to assess drug utilization profile and drug-drug interaction (DDI) in the elderly patients in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A Hospital-based cross-sectional study was performed to examine pattern of drug use in elderly population aged 60 years and above on 250 inpatients from June 2010 till February 2011. The socio-demographic information of elderly inpatients, drug utilization patterns and DDI was studied. Results: A total of 2049 drugs were prescribed to 250 patients. Most of the geriatric patients were in age group of 60-65 years. Infectious diseases were the most common diagnosis made, followed by respiratory diseases and central nervous system disorders. The average number of drugs consumed by each patient was 8.19

Hydrogel Polysaccharides of Tamarind and Xanthan to Formulate Hydrodynamically Balanced Matrix Tablets of Famotidine

The gastroretentive dosage form of famotidine was modified using tamarind seed powders to prolong the gastric retention time. Tamarind seeds were used in two different forms having different swelling and gelling properties: with husk (TSP) or without husk (TKP). TKP (TKP1 to TKP 6) and TSP (TSP1 to TSP 6) series were prepared using tamarind powder:xanthan in the ratios of 5:0, 4:1, 3:2, 2:3, 1:4, 0:5, respectively. The matrix tablets were prepared by the wet granulation method and evaluated for pharmacopoeial requirements. TKP2 was the optimum formulation as it had a short floating lag time (FLT < 30 s) and more than 98.5% drug release in 12 h. The dissolution data were fitted to popular mathematical models to assess the mechanism of drug release, and the optimum formulation showed a predominant first order release and diffusion mechanism. It was concluded that the TKP2 prepared using tamarind kernel powder:xanthan (4:1) was the optimum formulation with shortest floating lag time and more than 90% release in the determined period of time

Tanacetum polycephalum (L.) Schultz-Bip. Induces Mitochondrial-Mediated Apoptosis and Inhibits Migration and Invasion in MCF7 Cells

Tanacetum polycephalum (L.) Schultz-Bip (Mokhaleseh) has been traditionally used in the treatment of headaches, migraines, hyperlipidemia and diabetes. The present study aimed to evaluate its anticancer properties and possible mechanism of action using MCF7 as an in vitro model. T. polycephalum leaves were extracted using hexane, chloroform and methanol solvents and the cytotoxicity was evaluated using the MTT assay. Detection of the early apoptotic cells was investigated using acridine orange/propidium iodide staining. An Annexin-V-FITC assay was carried out to observe the phosphatidylserine externalization as a marker for apoptotic cells. High content screening was applied to analyze the cell membrane permeability, nuclear condensation, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and cytochrome c release. Apoptosis was confirmed by using caspase-8, caspase-9 and DNA laddering assays. In addition, Bax/Bcl-2 expressions and cell cycle arrest also have been investigated. MTT assay revealed significant cytotoxicity of T. Polycephalum hexane extract (TPHE) on MCF7 cells with the IC50 value of 6.42 ± 0.35 µg/mL. Significant increase in chromatin condensation was also observed via fluorescence analysis. Treatment of MCF7 cells with TPHE encouraged apoptosis through reduction of MMP by down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax, triggering the cytochrome c leakage from mitochondria to the cytosol. The treated MCF7 cells significantly arrested at G1 phase. The chromatographic analysis elicited that the major active compound in this extract is 8β-hydroxy-4β,15-dihydrozaluzanin C. Taken together, the results presented in this study demonstrated that the hexane extract of T. Polycephalum inhibits the proliferation of MCF7 cells, resulting in the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, which was explained to be through the mitochondrial pathway

The Chemopreventive Effect of Tanacetum Polycephalum Against LA7-Induced Breast Cancer in Rats and the Apoptotic Effect of a Cytotoxic Sesquiterpene Lactone in MCF7 Cells: A Bioassay-Guided Approach

Background: Tanacetum polycephalum L. Schultz-Bip is a member of the Asteraceae family. This study evaluated the chemopreventive effect of a T. polycephalum hexane extract (TPHE) using in in vivo and in vitro models. Methods and Results: Five groups of rats: normal control, cancer control, TPHE low dose, TPHE high dose and positive control (tamoxifen) were used for the in vivo study. Histopathological examination showed that TPHE significantly suppressed the carcinogenic effect of LA7 tumour cells. The tumour sections from TPHE-treated rats demonstrated significantly reduced expression of Ki67 and PCNA compared to the cancer control group. Using a bioassay-guided approach, the cytotoxic compound of TPHE was identified as a tricyclic sesquiterpene lactone, namely, 8β- hydroxyl- 4β, 15- dihydrozaluzanin C (HDZC). Signs of early and late apoptosis were observed in MCF7 cells treated with HDZC and were attributed to the mitochondrial intrinsic pathway based on the up-regulation of Bax and the down-regulation of Bcl-2. HDZC induced cell cycle arrest in MCF7 cells and increased the expression of p21 and p27 at the mRNA and protein levels. Conclusion: This results of this study substantiate the anticancer effect of TPHE and highlight the involvement of HDZC as one of the contributing compounds that act by initiating mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis

Immunohistochemical results for Bcl-2, Bax, p53 and caspase 3.

<p>Tumor control (A), FALHE low-dose treatment (B), FALHE high-dose treatment (C), and tamoxifen treatment (D). Dark brown particles are representing the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase 3 and p53 proteins. Microscopic observation of the FALHE-treated group compared with the control tumor showing high expression levels of Bax, p53 and caspase 3 and a low expression level of Bcl-2 protein. This result demonstrates the activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Magnification, 40×.</p